The government told its departments last year to stop installing Chinese-linked CCTV cameras in sensitive buildings, South China Morning Post reported.

In an announcement about a tightening of procurement rules, the Cabinet Office was quoted as saying by the newspaper: “We will also commit to publish a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law from sensitive central government sites.”

The statement did not name specific companies but MPs have previously called for a ban on the sale and use of security cameras made by Hikvision and Dahua, two partly state-owned Chinese firms, over privacy concerns about their products being linked to human rights abuses in China.

Prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has cast China as the world’s greatest challenge to security and prosperity, the newspaper reported.

Hikvision said in a statement: “We believe that the possible action by the UK government is a further step up of the mounting geopolitical tensions being expressed through technology bans, which by no means relates to the security of Hikvision’s products.”